Michael J. Cohen is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s New York office and a member of the Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group. Michael represents a diverse array of parties in bankruptcy and insolvency matters, distressed investments, acquisitions and financings, debt exchanges, and in-court and out-of-court restructurings.
Awards and Accolades:
- Lawdragon, “Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers” (2024)
- The Best Lawyers in America®, “Bankruptcy & Creditor Debtor Rights, Insolvency & Reorganization Law” (2024)
- The Legal 500 - United States, “Leading Lawyer in Bankruptcy” (2024)
- International Financial Law Review, “Notable Practitioner” (2019)
Michael recently represented an ad hoc secured creditor group in the complex restructuring of pharmaceutical company Endo International plc, negotiating several transformative settlements, including with numerous tort claimants and U.S. Department of Justice, which served to anchor the debtors’ chapter 11 plan, alongside the reduction of $8 billion of funded debt and $3 billion of newly raised debt and equity capital at exit. He also served as creditors’ counsel in the out-of-court restructurings of PGX Holdings, the cross-border prepackaged chapter 11 of Lumileds, and the $1.15 billion chapter 11 cases for Cyxtera Technologies.
Michael’s representation of secured lenders includes Cano Health’s prearranged chapter 11 restructuring, the two in-court restructurings of pharmaceutical manufacturer Mallinckrodt plc, as well as restructrurings and related transactions with leading mattress manufacturer Serta Simmons, Exela Technologies, involving a full par payoff of the creditor group, Catalina Marketing, and David’s Bridal.
Michael earned his law degree in 2002 from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a member of Fordham Law Review and was awarded the American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence and the Benjamin Finkel Prize for his academic work on bankruptcy law. He graduated with highest honors from Rutgers University, where he was a Henry Rutgers Scholar.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Michael was a partner at Jones Day. Prior to joining Jones Day in 2013, he practiced at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. He served as a law clerk for Judge Stephen D. Gerling of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York from 2003 to 2004.
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- Fordham University - 2002 Juris Doctor
- Rutgers University - 1998 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- New Jersey Bar
- New York Bar
Clerkships:
- US Bankruptcy Court, New York Northern District, Hon. Stephen D. Gerling, 2003 - 2004